Wisdom Found in Selfies

Natalie is at an orphanage in Haiti. Please pray for this little 9 year old gift from God.

As I sat on a dirty slab of concrete, on a monastery mountaintop in Haiti, holding little orphan Natalie on my lap, she grabbed my phone and began to take pictures. The complete joy she exuded from something as simple as selfies brought tears to my eyes. She took many photos of our faces, hers covered in sugar from the ring pop I gave her, and mine sharing a smile, from the great joy the Lord brought to both of us. But there was one photo she took that imprinted an image, not just in the data of my phone, but in my mind and my heart. It was this photo of our feet:

There is a verse in scripture that came to mind immediately for me. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news.
 -Isaiah 52:7

I look at little Natalie's feet and I can't help but feel overwhelmed by the beauty of them. At 9 years old, this little child, abandoned by her natural family, has been blessed with a family of nuns who run the orphanage, along with 50 other children.* She, in all her rights, could be an angry child, full or rage for being abandoned, and full of questions of God's love of her, yet she lives simply in the peace of the Lord and others, because those who were not her family at birth have taken her in and care for her. She has found family through the love of those serving God. She has found peace and glad tidings from the many feet that have trod across that space, be it passing by missionaries or the sisters at the orphanage, and she herself, because of that, brought glad tidings to me on the mountaintop too, and how beautiful are those feet that have done that for me?

I find great wisdom in Natalie. She has challenged me in my daily walk to bring glad tidings to others, regardless of my lot in life, announcing the peace of the Lord and bearing good news. Too often I let the words that escape my mouth, or even my presence, set a temperature of frustration and fatigue in a room. Too often I am not sharing good news at all, but gossiping or complaining. Too often, my feet, through perfectly pedicured and cared for, are quite ugly, for they don't at all times walk in the way of the Lord. What Natalie taught me in her joy of selfies, her sugar covered face, and her scarred and shoeless feet, is that I must find joy in the simple things, and let the love and light of Christ shine anywhere I am. Thank you Natalie, for the way you helped me to see Christ that day and inspired me to continue to walk in His ways all the days of my life.

I challenge each of you to reflect on the path your feet take. Do they lead you and others to Christ? If so, how? If not, what can you do to redirect your path? Trust in the Lord to lead you, for "In his mind, a man plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps." -Proverbs 16:9

Feel free to share your thoughts with me. It helps my heart to grow. Thanks!

*The orphanage where Natalie resides was completely pancaked in the earthquake of 2010. It was one of the rare days that absolutely no one was in the building, so all 51 children and those running the orphanage survived. Absolutely amazing.

Spray it, don't say it!

Nope, that's not a typo. Sure, the typical wording may be "Say it, don't spray it" when it comes to spewing sentences and overactive salivary glands, but when it comes to love... it's completely opposite. Saying it is simply not enough.What we do has to show that we love, and furthermore, that we love because we were first loved by God.

 "Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth" -1 John 3:18 

I don't know about you, but I hear and even speak of love all the time. I love the weather today. I love your shoes. I love my job. I love my iPhone. I love this song. I love this show. I love my new car. I love this restaurant. I love this city. I love this country. I love you. I love him. I love her. I love Jesus. I love everything! That sounds like a whole lot of love--but that's the problem. It's just a sound, like resounding gongs and clashing cymbals. But love requires a lot more than sound, and sometimes no sound at all. We hear about what it means to really love all the time. All the greatest saints and even songs on the radio explain that our lives have to be proof  of love. We can't just talk about it... we have to live it! Even love songs that have nothing to do with God talk about love as an action. I mean, I can tell someone I love them a lot, but would I catch a grenade for them? Or let's get old school, what was it that Meatloaf just wouldn't do for love? Furthermore, what won't WE do for love? Will we not show our love in simple ways, like listening instead of talking all the time, being the first to call just to say hi, sending a card in the mail, thanking someone who never gets thanked, or even in mighty ways: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the widowed and orphaned. It's time we stop talking so much about love and start living love.

Today, challenge yourself to show someone that you love them without words. It's tough, but I know you can do it! Now get out there and spray it, don't just say it.